Big News

17 June 2013

So you know how I've been all "life without a computer=sucky blogging, blah, blah, blah."
Yeah, I know, it was annoying. And I was sick of it too,
so when an unexpected check came in the mail for $1,400 and change, I knew just what to do with it.
{Side note on the check since I'm sure y'all are curious, it was part of a class-action foreclosure settlement with the state of California. I wasn't really expecting it though, so it kinda felt like free money.}

So our weekend was filled with lots of techie, geek action. My husband is going to use the new computer for now, since he is more of a "power user" and I'm taking over his macbook (which is still a huge upgrade for me.) Let me give a little idea of what that action entailed.Transfer all Jeff's files to brand-new macbook. Approx 9 hours (left it going overnight.)Wipe the hard drive and reinstall OSX on Jeff's old macbook. Approx 2 hours.Transfer all my data from my old laptop (the "dead" one) to new laptop. Approx 5 hours.Customize all my settings on my new laptop and download new software so as not to be in the techie dark ages. 3 hours in...status ongoing.

Here's a sneak peek of the excitement. If you're keeping track, that's 3 Apple laptops, 1 projector, and a whole lotta cables. {And a Father's Day card to Jeff from the dogs. Wife of the year over here.}

In spite of all this computer craziness, we did manage to drive up to Topanga Canyon and take the dogs for a hike. We had an ulterior motive too, because it's an area that we wonder if we might like to live someday. Mainly because it's this awesome oasis of green nothingness in the middle of greater LA. Don't take my word for it, take Google Maps'.

Here's what we determined in our short, exploratory mission:

Pros
Feels like middle of nowhere
Relatively close to freeways, ocean, civilization, etc.
Property values are less than other areas we like
Horse country with a hippie vibe
Can get large plots of land (5ish acres)
Tons of great hiking in state parks

Cons
Feels like middle of nowhere
Rattlesnakes & coyotes
Crazy mountain roads
Not as green and lush as other areas we like
Traffic could potentially get redonk with the whole "one way in, one way out" setup

hiking in Topanga

We won't be pulling the trigger on a house anytime soon, but it's fun to start the process of getting clear on what we want, what we can afford, and different areas we like.

ha my husband just got a check from a class action lawsuit as well. he had forgotten about it since it had been since like 2008 when he filled out paperwork. sadly, our check was for twenty-five dollars.